Molding device



March 2s, 1939.

` H. QZAUNERl 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 50, 1958 March 28, 1939. H, c. ZVAUNER Alll-32,009 n MOLDING DEVICE Filed DeC. 50, 1958 5 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in a monotype machine and morev particularly to an improvement in the mold adjusting mechanism, so as to eliminate the selection and use of packing pieces, and an improvement in the adjusting mechanism of the back closure overlying the orince through which molten metal is supplied to the mold.

In the past, conventional molds now appearing on the market utilized packing pieces for adjusting the molds to the proper position. The packing pieces are selected according to the width of the character or slug to be cast. The packing piece may be a zero size spacer, a half, a number l, etcetera, the sizes being defined arbitrarily by the manufacturers of monotype equipment. When changing the position of the molds and the cores, it is necessary to remove one packing piece and replace it by another preselected packing piece, so as to properly position the mold and its cores.

Furthermore, in conventional casting machines now appearing on the market, the molten metal is supplied from underneath the mold cavity through' a rectangular orifice, three sides of which are fixed, the fourth side being adjustable and including the end of the closure valve, which operates between a pair of guide plates. A back closure is positioned opposite the end of the closure valve. In the past, this back closure has not been provided with any adjustment except when using the largest packing piece .or bar. Whenthe largest packing piece is used, therback closure may be adjusted through predetermined steps, uniform in length and fixed in Width. By this arrangement, the slot through which the molten metal is supplied to the mold cavity is for all practical purposes fixed with respect to the mold cavity and cannot be adjusted to any predetermined position or to any predetermined increment. If packing bars other than the largest packing bars are used, the back closure cannot be adjusted whatsoever. Its position is fixed. This results in the orice being offset from the center of the mold cavity, excepting in a few cases. When the orifice is offset from the center, the molten metal that shoots up through the orifice, tends to travel in a vertical plane and exerts the greatest pressure on the face of the character to be cast that is directly above the orifice. If a large character is cast, the chances are that the orifice will be located closer to one end of the mold than the other. By this arrangement, the molten metal will exert a considerable force against the face of one side or one end of the means for adjusting the mold blade and character; but a far lesser pressure against the face of the character that is farthest removed from the orifice. This will result in a character having a fine surface, Well cast, directly above the orifice; but -a pitted, soft, irregular surface 5 in the face of the character that is offset or farthest removed from the orice underlying the mold cavity.

Furthermore, it may be desirable to direct the stream of molten metal in one direction or an- 10 other to improve upon the finish of the finished character, as for example, if a rather wide character is being cast, it may be that for some reason or another, one side of the molded character may be pitted or irregular, possibly due to rapid chil- 15 ling of the metal. If such is found to be the case, it is very desirable to deflect the incoming stream of molten metal, so as to shoot the stream of molten metal against the cold spot. By shifting the back closure valve, it is possible to direct .the 20 stream of molten metal, so as to cure the defective surface found upon a portion of the cast character.

An object of this invention is to provide a micrometer adjustment for a mold and its cores used 25 in casting characters on monotype machines, so as to eliminate the use of interchangeable packing pieces.

Another object of this invention is to provide a micrometer adjustment for the back closure 30 of the orifice, irrespective of the positioning of the mold cavity and irrespective of the positioning of the mold blade.

Another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable mold positioning device for a monotype machine that is efficient, casting a uniform face upon the character in an efficient and expeditious manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide cores 40 without interchanging parts and Without removing the mold from th machine; but permitting the adjustment of the orifice while the machine is operating.

Another object of this invention is'to provide 45 both front and rear closures for the orifice through which molten metal is supplied to the mold cavity, which may be adjusted so as to position the orifice in a symmetrical manner with respect to the end Walls of the mold, to thereby 50 supply the molten metal to the cavity uniformly throughout the Width of the character that is being cast.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof and 55 the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a top plan View t of the mold base plate having mounted in position the guide plates and the rear and front closures, showing the front closure in closed position.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the base plate of the mold with the guide plates and the orifice closures removed, to expose the micrometer adjusting mechanism for the mold and the micrometer rear end closure adjusting mechanism.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and showing in addition to the base plate, the closures and some o the parts forming the sides of the mold cavity.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional View similar to Figure 3, taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional View taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an end view of one of the valve closure members.

Figure 7 is a schematic showing of the flow of the metal into a mold cavity, wherein the orifice through which the metal enters the mold is offset with respect to the mold cavity.

Figure 8 discloses a schematic showing of the flow of the metal into a mold cavity, wherein the orice is equally spaced and symmetrically disposed with respect to the end walls of the mold cavity.

Monotype machines are widely used in this country. Their construction and operation is well known to those skilled in the art. For the purpose of ediication to those who may not be skilled in the art, reference is made to a patent to Indahl No. 1,720,331 patented July 9, 1929, and a patent to Indahl No. 1,581,125 patented April 20, 1926. These machines utilize an adjustable mold which may be similar to a mold disclosed in the patent to Indahl No. 1,720,331. Only so much of the mold and the parts associated therewith as are deemed necessary for a description of my improvement will be made herein.

In the drawings, the reference character 26 indicates a base plate of a mold adapted for use on a monotype machine for casting characters one at a time. In the center of the base plate 20 is an annular opening receiving an annular orifice collar 22, held in position by a plurality of suitable screws 211i. A nozzle 26 is located directly above the orice collar 22 and is provided with a substantially irustrum conical projection extending upwardly and terminating in a nozzle seat plane surface. The base plate 2i) is mounted on the machine, as more fully described in the aforementioned patents. When the base plate is mounted on the machine, the orice communicates with a pot of molten metal, as fully shown in said above referred to patents. As this connection of the mold to the machine does not constitute a part of the invention, no attempt will be made to describe it at this time.

A pair of guide plates 3G and 32 are mounted on top o the base plate 2li. The guide plates are arranged in spaced relation from each other so as to leave a longitudinal dovetail centrally located slot extending over and through the center of the orifice. rlhe side walls of the nozzle portion of member 26 snugly fit the sides of the slot. A stop closure member 35 projects into the slot found between members 30 and 32 from one end thereof. The stop member 36 is provided with a forwardly extending closure tongue portion 38, which may project over a portion oi the orifice and must at all times contact the seat of the nozzle 26. Member 3G is adjustably mounted in a manner which will be more fully described later.

A front closure valve member il projects into the opposite ends of the slot found between members 33 and 32. This valve closure member is provided with a rearwardly extending closure tongue 42 that cverlies the seat of the nozzle 26 and projects over the orifice. Member llt is mounted for reciprocatory movement, to open and close the orice. It is driven from a suitable mechanism in the monotype machine which will not now be described, as this mechanism has been more fully described in the aforementioned patents and does not form a part of this invention. In the monotype machine mechanism a device has been provided for the adjustment oi the valve closure tongue 42 to open into one of several positions. The driving mechanism snaps the valve 40 into closed position under the inuence of a spring not shown.

The guide plates 3G and 32 slidingly support a mold assembly, forming a mold cavity Ml. This mold assembly is mounted for reciprocatory movement on top of the guide plates, so that as the mold cavity is either made wider or narrower, as will appear more fully later, the cavity may be adjusted to the right or to the left, as viewed in Figure 3, so as to position the mold cavity somewhat near the center of the nozzle. Thus, if a wide letter is cast, as for example an M or W, the width of the mold cavity may be increased and the mold cavity shifted, so as to be centrally located with respect to the orifice. On the other hand, if, for example, I or some punctuation mark is to be cast, the width of the mold cavity y will be reduced, so as to have a width that may possibly be less than one-fourth oi the width of such letters as M and W. By decreasing the Width of the mold cavity, if the mold cavity could not be adjusted, it is conceivable that the orice through which the molten metal is supplied to the cavity might be covered and sealed by the walls of the mold, thereby resulting in an inoperative structure. By the sliding arrangement of the mold assembly upon the guide plates, it is .-1

possible to position the mold cavity as desired.

The mold assembly includes a pair of bolster members 43, only one oi which has been shown. The bolster members are mounted for sliding movement upon the guide plates 3) and 32. The sides of the bolster members are bounded by liners "i6 extending in parallel relation to the guide plates and the holsters, so as to form liners for two sides of the mold cavity 64.

A pair oi rear mold blades 48 extend from the rear of the mold between the liners lit. These mold blades are mounted for reciprocatory movement, as more fully described in the above referred to patents. A pair of core members 5G mounted in suitable channels in the mold blades project into the mold cavity fifi. These core members 50 are provided with downwardly extending projections 52 seated in a notch in plate 54h and clamped between the plate Elia and clamping member 54e. Plates i'i/la and 5M) will hereinafter be referred to as abutment plate S, which always moves with the mold cavity fill, as will appear more fully later. The forward end of the mold cavity is closed by a cross block 5G, mounted for reciprocatory movement by the driving mechanism shown and described in the aforementioned patents. This cross block 56 is always mounted at a constant distance from the abutment plate 54, Whether the cross block 56 is in closed position, so as to form a gate or a side Wall for the mold cavity, or it is in open position to permit the cast character to be ejected from the mold cavity by the mold blades 48, as more fully described in the aforementioned patents. The top of the mold cavity is closed by a matrix mounted for reciprocatory movement. This matrix has not been shown, as it has been fully described in the aforementioned patents and does not per se form a part of this invention. Thus, it is seen that the matrix forms the top of the mold cavity, the liners 46 form two sides of the mold cavity, the mo-ld blades 48, together with the cores l), cooperate to form one end of the cavity and the guide plates 36 and 32, together with the valve clos-ure members, form the bottom of the cavity.

The molten metal is supplied under pressure through the orifice when the valve closure member lil) is in open position into the mold cavity, so as to ll the cavity. As soon as the cavity is filled, the valve closure member i0 is snapped into closed position, when the guide plates 3i) and 32 cooperate with the rear closure tongue portion 38 and the valve closure tongue portion 42 to form the bottom of the mold. As soon as the valve member 40 has advanced into closed position and the molten metal has set suiciently so as to solidify, the cross block member 5B is retracted by the monotype machine, as disclosed in the above referred to patents and the mold blades 48 actuated to the right, as viewed in Figure 3, to eject or expel the molded character from core members 5H] and out of the mold cavity, in readiness for a succeeding character to be cast. The movement of the parts, that is, the movement of the mold blade i8 and the cross block 55 is controlled by the driving mechanism of the monotype machine.

Thus far the mold cavity has been described as used for one size and type of character. All characters are not of the same size. For example, the width of capital I is only a small fraction of the Width of capital W or capital M. It is therefore necessary to provide for an adjustment of the mold cavity so as to accommodate various characters which may be the same height and i'lt together as a common variety. As far as the dimensions of the mold cavity are concerned, this is partly taken care of by adjusting the driving mechanism of the monotype machine and principally the adjustment of the mold blades d3.

In the prior art devices the mold cavity was adjusted or positioned upon the guide plates 3] and 32 by selecting a proper packing rnembe;` that was inserted between the rear of the base plate 20 and the mechanism controlling the positioning of the bolsters, the cores., liners, point block, etcetera. In the present embodiment no packing pieces are used whatsoever. Instead, the abutment plate 54, as may best be seen by referring to Figure 2, is xedly attached to a pair of rack members 60, extending in parallel relation in a longitudinally extending recess in the base plate 2i). A pair of gears E2 and 54, inte-gral with a spindle 65, are mounted so as to mesh with the teeth on the rack members 50. This spindle i is positioned in the transverse recess Si in the base plate 2B and ,projects to! the outside of the base plate. By rotating the spindle 66, so as to actuate the gears 62 and 64, rack members 60 supporting the abutment plate 54 are actuated to the right or to the left, as viewed in Figure 2. As these rack members are actuated, the mold cavity is advanced to the right or to the left, as viewed in Figure 3, thereby making it possible to locate the mold cavity above the orifice underneath the mold cavity.

Mechanism has been provided for adjusting the rear closure tongue 38 which is integral With member 36. This mechanism includes a gear integral with a spindle 'l5 which is mounted in a transverse slot 13 in the base plate 25. The spindle projects beyond the edge of the base plate 20, so as to be accessible from the exterior thereof. The gear E0 meshes With teeth on the rack member 'i2v mounted for sliding movement between the rack members 60. This rack member 'i2 is xedly attached to member 35 so that as the rack member 12 is actuated to the right or to the left, as viewed in Figure 3, by rotation of the spindle 16, the tongue 3S is actuated to the right or to the left respectively. As member 35, together With the tongue 38, is actuated to the right or to the left, the position of one side of the opening below the mold cavity is shifted either to the right or to the left, depending upon the direction of movement of member 36.

The foregoing adjustments of the mold cavity and the adjustments of the tongue might be referred to as micrometer adjustments of the mold cavity and micrometer adjustments of the tongue, that is, both of these adjustments may be made through any predetermined increments of space at the Will of the operator. By centering the mold cavity above the orifice, it is possible to get the molten metal to flow into the mold, so as to produce a substantially uniform surface on the face of the character to be cast. If one side or the other of the cast character is pitted, the tongue 38 may be manipulated either to the right or to the left, so as to shoot the stream of molten metal towards the cold spot causing the pitted surface.

For a better understanding of the importance of the now of the metal, Figures 7 and 8 show the relative paths of the metal caused by various relative positions of the orice to the mold cavity, ignoring the influence oi the flow of the metal by the tongue 38. In Figure 7, the orifice A of the nozzle is offset from the longitudinal center of the mold cavity B. The matrix has been shown at C. By referring to the arrows it can be readily seen that the area D, overlying the orice A, receives the metal in a vertical direction, so that the molten metal is forced against the matrix in a direction normal to the face of the matrix. At the extreme opposite edge represented by the reference character E, the molten metal approaches this edge at an angle represented by the arrow F, thereby exerting a lesser pressure against the matrix along the edge E than the pressure that is exerted by the molten metal directly above the orifice. Especially is this the case where the timing is such that the closure is actuated into closed position immediately upon the mold cavity being iilled.

By referring to Figure 8, it can be readily seen that when the orice A is positioned at the center of the mold cavity, the molten metal flows up in a fan-shaped path, resulting in a fairly uniform surface. By providing an adjustment for the closure tongue 38 by the micrometer adjustment, it is possible to cure any irregularities.

After the mold cavity and the orifice have been adjusted to the proper position, spindles B6 and 'I6 are preferably locked or clamped into position. This has been accomplished by tightening screws 80, causing a clamping member 82 to clamp the spindles 66 and 16 against the plate 20. After the machine has been started, if it is found that one surface or the other of the cast character has a pitted area, the screws 80 adjacent the spindle 'i6 may be loosened, the spindle 'I6 adjusted slightly until the pitted area on the face of the molded character disappears, when the screws 80 adjacent this spindle are again tightened, so as to lock the spindle in position and thereby hold the parts in a fixed relative position.

As the mold cavity when in use is enclosed, or practically so, so that it is rather difficult to ascertain its size, it is very desirable to have an external gauge indicating the relative position of the mold with respect to the orifice. The orifice is always in a fixed position with respect to the base plate 2U. The mold cavity i4 may be adjusted with respect to the base plate 20. These relative movements have been utilized in producing a gauge. A plurality of indicia 84 have been cut, engraved or etched into the edge of the mold, as clearly seen in Figure 2. An indicant 86, ixedly attached by a screw 88 to the abutment plate 54a, registers with the indicia to indicate the relative position of the mold cavity with respect to the orice. This permits the proper adjustment of the mold cavity, relative to the orifice, by merely observing the relative position of the indicant with respect to the indicia.

Although the preferred modification of the device has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts which generally stated, consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, in the novel parts, combination of parts and mode of operation, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a casting machine for molding type characters and the like, the combination including a base plate having an orifice interconnected to a source of molten metal, a mold assembly adjustably mounted upon the base plate and cooperating therewith to form a mold cavity, and means for adjustably interconnecting the mold cavity to the base plate, said means including rack means interconnected to the mold assembly and a gear rotatably mounted in the mold base plate and meshing with the rack so that as the gear is rotated the mold cavity is shifted relative to the orifice.

2. In a casting machine for molding type characters and the like, the combination including a base plate having an oriiice interconnected to a source of molten metal, a mold assembly cooperating with the base plate to form an adjustable mold cavity overlying said orifice, and means for causing a relative adjustment between the mold assembly and the base plate so as to center the mold cavity relative to the orifice, said means including a rotatable member journalled in the base plate and a driving member driven from the rotatable member and iixedly attached to a portionof the mold assembly for causing a relative movement between the mold assembly and the base plate upon rotation of said rotatable member to thereby adjust the relative position of the oriiice with respect to the mold cavity.

3. In a casting machine for molding type characters and the like, the combination including a base plate unit having an oriiice interconnected to a source of molten metal, a mold assembly unit mounted upon the base plate unit and cooperating therewith to form a mold cavity overlying the orice, means for causing a relative movement between said units, said means including a gear journalled in one of said units and meshing with a rack xedly attached to the other unit whereby the rotation of the gear causes a relative micrometer adjustment of the mold cavity with respect to the orice. l

4. In a casting machine for molding type characters and the like, the combination including a base plate unit having an orifice interconnected to a source of molten metal, a mold assembly unit mounted upon the base plate unit and cooperating therewith to form a mold cavity overlying the orifice, and means for causing a relative movement between said units, said means including a rotatable member journalled in one of said units and a driving member xedly attached to the other unit, said driving member being interconnected to the rotatable member so that rotation of said rotatable member actuates the driving member to cause a micrometer adjustment between said units to shift the mold cavity relative to the orifice.

5. In a casting machine for molding type characters and the like, the combination including a base plate unit having an orice interconnected to a source of molten metal, a mold assembly unit mounted upon the base plate unit and cooperating therewith to form a mold cavity overlying the orifice, and micrometer adjusting means interconnecting said units, said micrometer adjusting means including a movable member mounted in one of said units, a stationary member interconnected to the other unit, the movable member actuating the stationary member so that as the movable member is actuated the stationary member drives the unit connected thereto so as to cause a relative movement between the oriiice and the mold cavity.

6. In a casting machine for casting type characters and the like, the combination including a mold assembly and a base plate unit for adjustably supporting the mold assembly, said base plate unit including a pair of guide plates extending in parallel relation and spaced from each other to form a longitudinally extending dovetail slot centrally disposed with respect to an orifice for supplying molten metal to the mold cavity through the base plate, an adjustably mounted stop closure member projecting into one end of the slot and provided with a tongue overlying a portion of the orifice, a valve closure member extending into the other end of the dovetail slot, and micrometer means for adjusting the stop closure member, said micrometer means including an adjusting member and a driving member fixedly attached to the stop closure member so that as the adjusting member is adjusted the stop closure member is actuated uniformly so as to actuate the stop closure member into any predetermined adjustment for directing the flow of metal emanating from the oriice.

7. In a casting machine for casting type characters and the like, the combination including a mold assembly and a base plate unit for adjustably supporting the mold assembly, said base plate unit including a pair of guide plates extending in parallel relation and spaced from each other to form a longitudinally extending dovetail slot centrally disposed with respect to an orifice for supplying molten metal to the mold cavity, an adjustably mounted stop closure member projecting into one end of the slot and provided. with a tongue overlying a -portion of the orifice, a valve closure member extending into the other end of the dovetail slot having a closed position and an open position, and means for adjusting the stop closure member so as to change the position of the end of the tongue overlying the orice, so as to influence the direction of the stream of molten metal supplied to the mold cavity through said orice, said adjusting means including a gear and a rack, the rack being interconnected to the stop closure member so that as the gear is rotated through any increment of distance the stop closure member is adjusted through a corresponding distance to thereby govern the direction of the flow of molten metal supplied to the mold cavity.

8. In a casting machine for casting type chanacters and the like, the combination including a mold assembly and a base plate unit for adjustably supporting the mold assembly, said base plate unit including a pair of guide plates extending in parallel relation and spaced from each other to form a longitudinally extending dovetail slot centrally disposed with respect to an orifice for supplying molten metal to the mold cavity through the base plate, an adjustably mounted stop closure member projecting into one end of the slot and provided with a tongue overlying a portion of the orifice, a valve closure member extending into the other end of the dovetail slot, which valve closure member has an open position and a closed position, and micrometer means for adjusting the stop closure member, said micrometer means including a rotatable member and a reciprocatory member driven by the rotatable member, said reciprocatory member being xedly attached to the stop closure member so that as the rotatable member is rotated the stop closure member is adjusted to thereby influence the direction of the iiow of molten metal emanating from the orifice.

HARRY C. ZAUNER. 

